Lithuanian Radio and Television

SADUKAS Algimantas, Radio Announcer

That night I was working with Bernadeta Lukošiūtė (also an announcer) as scheduled. Around 1:30 we got the first calls to inform us that a column of tanks and armored vehicles had turned along the bank of the Neris towards Vingis Park. Suddenly we heard maybe five explosions.

Around 2 a.m. the first ambulance turned onto Konarskio Street and stopped by the front door of the radio building. After the ambulance, armored vehicles drove further, and after them came two or three covered troop trucks. The trucks turned to the crowd of people and stopped. A huge number of soldiers jumped out of them and lined up across from the people and the radio building. All of them were wearing helmets and had weapons in their hands. The operation was very quick. Following the command of the officers, the soldiers threw some kind of explosives at the people. There was a scream and they began to shoot in the direction of the people. In a moment a shot was heard from a high-calibre cannon - there were tanks by the intersection. Soldiers attacked the people, and you could hear explosions again.

I ran to the studio, and B. Lukošiūtė and I locked ourselves in. We told all of Lithuania everything that we had seen, felt and thought. Lithuania was in danger. Soon over our control loudspeaker the voice of E. Bučelytė said that the television studio was being attacked. You could hear explosions and shooting. They were getting closer. More and more workers came to the studio apparatus room. They were on our shift and had been thrown out of their own work places. The lights went out in the apparatus room and in the studio. We continued to talk because it seemed like the panel was still working and the microphones were still on. The shooting was really near when the operators informed us that our voices couldn't be heard anymore. At that moment they started to break down our studio door, threatening to shoot us all. I went to the door, opened it, and was faced with a group of cursing soldiers. They held their guns aimed. It was dark everywhere. We were forced into the operators' room, where almost the entire shift was. There was an order for us to go into the hall one by one, raise our hands, and stand with our faces to the wall. Everyone was searched. There was smoke everywhere and a lot of soldiers. They called each other by their first names only. After the search we were all driven into the announcers' room. We weren't allowed to stand by the windows. One of the vandals went up to the window and fired his gun. At first we were guarded by two soldiers who were armed to their teeth, and later one more joined them. In the lounge they even showed what cartridges they had in their tommy guns. We waited. It was like time had stopped. In the street there was shooting, screaming and explosions... Suddenly we were commanded to leave one by one. In the corridor there was a soldier with a gun standing by each door. We were forced into the street through the door of the radio building which was first attacked. Those who were too slow were hit in the back with the butt of a gun. All around you could hear shooting and screaming.